Don and John finished evaluating the other 14 wells. Three or four are
not working because the water committee failed to function and did
not collect any money for the water so when the submersible pump
failed, they did not have the money to repair it. One well was
completely abandoned because the people would not pay 1.3 Cents for
40# of clean-drinking water. So they get all their water from a dirty
contaminated stream. They use this stream for a toilet, washing their
clothes and for cooking and drinking water. They get free medication
monthly for everyone in the village from the government to keep them
from getting cholera, etc. So here is a perfectly good well not being
used. Frustrating!
Tonight I taught the first lesson in the Temple-prep class which was to
be for the District Presidency and the 8 branch presidencies. There
were over 30 people there but many of them were women. I don't
have a clue who many of them were. I was later told two of the
branches opened this meeting up to anyone in their branch who was
interested in attending. Because most people here speak Krio and
many women in Sierra Leone are illiterate that put an interesting twist
on the class. I taught the class as simply as I could and I am very glad I
had visuals. That helped many to understand. President Charles, the
man who asked me to teach this class was skeptical, originally, to
having a woman teach a class of men. But after the class, he held my
hand in his and said "I couldn't have done it any better". I later learned
he is a counselor in the Stake Presidency of the Freetown Stake and
works for the Church and is over seminary and institute for all of Sierra
Leone.
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